Transcript of an interview conducted by Stan Burnett on 7 February 1985 for the Ray Hillam war project. Fernstedt enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1962, he seved in Dominican Republic in 1965, and requested a transfer to Vietnam. "Most of the men we had killed or wounded, were killed or wounded by accident or the stupidity of our own people and leaders." He told about his combat experiences including operation Osage. He stated that many people close to him were killed. He was a company commander at Chu Lai harbor from there he supplied security and set up ambushes. Fernstedt said he became good friends with the Vietnamese people on the island. He later commanded a "reaction force" which he commanded until he left Vietnam. He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was promised in a patriarchal blessing that he would not be killed if he lived the gospel, so he had no fear of dying. He said it was a "fun" war and much like a hunting trip. He respected the Vietnamese and regarded them as compitent soldiers. He said the United States lost the war because our men were not trained to fight the war properly. The United States relied too much on technology rather than training. He said he had flash backs and nightmares about the war for eight years, but he does not blame the country for sending him to Vietnam.